Automatic carrier and separator and despatcher for pneumatic-despatch-tube apparatus.



A. W. PEARSALL.

AUTOMATIC CARRIER SEPARATOR AND DESPATGHER FOR PNEUMATIG DESPATOH TUBEAPPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 1, 1906.

Patented June 24 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO., WASHINGTON, D. c.

UniTnD STATES PATENT ALBERT W. PEARSALL, 0F LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR TO LAMSON COM- PANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OFNEW JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC CARRIER SEPABATOR AND DESPATCHEB FOR PNEUMATIC-DESPATCH- TUBEAPPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 24, 1913.

Application filed October 1, 1906. Serial No. 337,018.

To (AZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT IV. PEARSALL, of Lowell, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Automatic Carrier Separators and Despatchers forPneumatic-Despatch-Tube Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to automatic carrier separator and despatcher forpneumatic tube apparatus.

The object. of my invention is to separate and space carriers which areclosely following one another in order that they may act independentlyon switching means in said apparatus thereby permitting the reliable andpositive operation of said switching means.

The device as herewith shown is installed in a transmission tube of apneumatic despatch system immediately preceding the au tomatic switchingmechanism located therein.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a construction embodyingmy inventionz-Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of the device with partsbroken away. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation. Fig. 3 is-anend elevation of Fig. 2 looking in direction indicated by the arrow.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

a represents a pneumatic transmission tube. .7) is a two-piece casingsurrounding said transmission tube and carrying the lower casing 6attached thereto by means of screws 6 Attached to the shaft A which ispivoted within chamber B of the upper casing b is a trip A projectingthrough opening A in the transmission tube into the path of travel ofthe carriers. The yoke A is fixed to the shaft A and spanning the casingZ), and carries on the lower end thereof the valve A controlling theport A communicating with the diaphragm chamber B in the lower casing 5Fixed at one end to the shaft A and at the other end to the casing Z) isa helical spring A mounted around the shaft A and adapted to hold thevalve A in a closed position over the port A The diaphragm b is, mountedin the chamber 6 and is attached to the shaft 5 by means of the nut 6The upper end of this shaft 6 projects into the chamber B in the uppercasing 79 and carries the slot 6 in which is movably mounted a pin 5attached to the check lever C The check lever C at a fixed end ispivoted within the upper chamber B of the upper casing Z) on shaft C andcarries the projections D and D which are adapted upon upward movementof the shaft 6 to project into the path of travel of the carriers in thetransmission tube a. An extension of the shaft C outside of the casingZ) carries the helical spring G which is fixed at one end of said shaft,the other end of said spring C being adapted to engage with the rack Cfor the purpose of adjusting the tension of this spring. The passage Bplaces the transmission tube a in communication with the diaphragmchamber B and an adjustable screw E is threaded into the lower casing Z2for the purpose of restricting the passage B to regulate the passage ofair therethrough.

The operation is as follows: The carrier A, shown in dotted lines Fig.2, and traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow, strikes thetrip A depressing it and causing the valve A to be lifted from its seatadmitting atmospheric pressure into the diaphragm chamber B therebyshort-circuiting or relieving the vacuum maintained in the chamber Bthrough the medium of passage B causing the diaphragm 6* to be movedupward and through the medium of the shaft 6 raising one end of lever Cand projections D and D into the transmission tube immediately in thepath of the following carrier thereby checking the same. The upward orarresting posit-ion of the diaphragm and lever C is shown in dottedlines Fig. 2. Immediately after the passage of the carrier A the trip Ais released and the valve A is closed through the medium of helicalspring A and a vacuum is reestablished in the chamber B the air beingexhausted through the passage B drawing the diaphragm downward andcarrying with it through the medium of shaft. 6 the lever 0 removing theprojections D and D from in front of the carrier which has been checkedallowing the carrier to continue through the tube. The screw E may bescrewed in or out thereby throttling or graduating the air passage Bthus regulating the vacuum operating upon the diaphragm b and permittingthe adjustment of the check lever C in combinalion with the tension ofthe spring C to the length of the transmission tube or the workingvacuum carried within the system.

l-laving thus described the nature of my invention and set forth aconstruction emhe ying the same, what I claim as new and dos re tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus of the vacuum type, a transittube for the transmission of carriers, a pivoted check lover, a springtending to presssaid lever into the transit tube to engage approachingcarriers, a casing provided with upper and lower chambers connnunicatingthrough a restricted passage, said upper chamber opening into thetransit tube so that air may be exhausted through said restrictedpassage from the lower chamber and said lower chamber having an openingto the outside air, a valve normally closing the opening of the lowerchamber to the outside air, means actuated by a carrier passing throughthe transit tube for opening said valve to admit outside air into thelower chamber, a diapln'agm in said lower cha1uher having on one sidethe opening to the outside air and the restricted passage, saiddiaphragm being connected with said check lever so that a depression ofthe diaphragm through the exhaustion of the air in the lower chamberwill hold the check lever withdrawn from the transit tube against theaction of its spring and so that the elevation of the diaphragm throughthe admission of outside air into the lower chamber will permit thecheck lever to be projected by its spring into the transit tube in thepath of an approaching carrier.

2. In a meumatic despatch tube apparatus of the vacuum type, a transittube for the transmission of carriers, a casing provided with upper andlower chambers communi- 1 eating through a restricted passage, saidupper chamber opening into the transit tube so that air may be exhaustedthrough said restricted passage from the lower chamber and said lowerchamber having an opening to the outside air, an adjustable screw forregulating the opening through the restricted passage connecting the twochambers, a diaphragm. extending across the lower cham her having on oneside the restricted passage and the opening to the outside air, aspringpressed valve normally closing the opening of the lower chamber tothe outside air so that the exhaustion of air from the lower chamberthrough the restricted passage will depress the diaphragm, a trip onsaid valve to be actuated by a carrier passing through the transit tubefor opening the valve to admit outside air to the lower chamber todestroy the partial vacuum therein and l thereby raise the diaphragm, acheck lever pivoted in the upper chamber of the casing, a spring tendingto press said check lever into the transit tube into the path of anapproaching carrier, and a shaft connecting the free end of the checklever with said diaphragm so that when the latter is depressed the checklever will be held with drawn from the transit tube against the actionof said spring and so that when the diaphragm is elevated the checklever will be projected by the spring into the transit tube into thepath of an approaching carrier.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses this fifth day of September A. D.1906.

ALBERT lV. PEARSALL.

lVitnesses A. R. LARRABEE, A. L. dnssnn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

